Tetee



G. W. KERSTETER.

AUTGMATIO SPRINKLER.

[No Model.)

No. 597,115. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

CHARLES W. KERSTETER, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NIAGARA FIRE EXTI-NGUISHER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,115, dated January 11, 1898.

Application filed August 2 1897.

To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. Knes- TETER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State 5 of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has a general relation to improvements in automatic sprinklers for use in factories and other buildings in which a series of sprinkling-vents connected with a fixed pipe containing water under pressure are normally closed by devices retained by the interposition of a metal adapted to be fused by an I 5 excessive rise in the temperature in the apartment where they are located and to be thereby opened to permit the water to escape, and

it has especial relation to that class of sprinklers in which the vent opens under an arch or yoke and is closed by a valve or cap held in place by a collapsible post composed of separable parts held together by a fusible metal band and resting against the inner top of the arch.

The object of my invention is to produce a new and improved post of the kind specified, in which the water-pressure shall, by the construction and arrangements of the parts of the post, be caused to simultaneously act in opposite directions to rupture the fusible bond.

To the aforesaid object my invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction, arrangement, and combination of the parts 3 5 hereinafter described, and then specifically,

pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which 0 similar reference-numerals indicatelike parts in the difierent views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved sprinkler; Fig. 2, a section of the valve used therewith; Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, detached views of the component parts of the post; and Fig. 7, a section through the inlet-port, valve, and part of the yoke.

Referring to the drawings,- 1 is the base of the sprinkler, which has an annular opening in the upper face, the outer edge being screw- 5o threaded and the inner wall extended upward to form a valve-seat about the inlet, and from concavo-convex plate 3.

gerial No. 646,773. (No model.)

the lower face depends a screw-threaded nipple, by which it is connected with the watersupply, and this portion has a lug ll on each side to be engaged by a spanner or wrench for placing and removing the sprinkler. Fitting in the internal screw-thread of this portion is an annular plate 13, from which rises the yoke 14, from the top of which extends the pivot 10, and in the under face of which top is a countersunk opening to receive the upper end of the post hereinafter described. On the pivot 10 is journaled a revoluble wheel 8, retained by a collar 9, held by upsetting the pivot lO. The lower face of the rim of this wheel is indented with a series of radial notches extending from the circumference inward, and from the bottom of each notch a small hole extends diagonally to the upper face and equidistant from the center.

Fitting the valve-seat is a valve 2, consisting of a metallic disk recessed in the under face to receive a disk 12 of packing material and recessed at the top to hold a metallic The collapsible post consists of two metallic members and two fusibly-united plates. The first member 4 is I-formed in cross-section, each flange extending below the web in one direction, and one projecting above it. The shorter flange is bent upward at the bottom and has two abutments in the bent portion, the outer being deepest. The longer flange has a notch at the top, and a transverse angular groove near the bottom, and termimates in a'point offset from the vertical plane of its face. The second member 5 of the post consists of a straight plate tapered at the top to a blunt point to rest in the countersunk opening in the inside top of the yoke 14 and beveled at the lower end to rest in the transverse groove in the first member. In this member is an opening to receive the hooked end of a dog 15, which has a shoulder to abut against the front of the plate, which dog pro- 5 jects horizontally from the front of the plate and has a hooked end arranged to overhang the abutments of the first member.

The plates 6 7 are of like size, each having a notch at one end of suitable width to receive the dog 15 to prevent their lateral displacement, and are laid together with one extending' the depth of its notch beyond the other and are united by a solder fusible at a low temperature.

The parts are assembled by placing the burled end of the member 5 in the transverse angular groove in the member 4: and the dog 15 in the upper notch of the same member and then inserting the united plates 6 7 between the dog and the abutments in thememher 4, the projecting plate in the deepest,the hook of the dog, resting in the notch of the plate 7 and against the plate 6 at the bottom I of its notch. The valve is then placed on its seat, the post inserted between the valve and inner top of the yoke, and the yoke screwed in the base until the post is firmly held between the valve and yoke.

By the foregoing statement it will be apparent that the upward pressure on the valve will be to rock the upper end of the member 4 away from the member 5 and cause it to press on the plates 6 7. As the plate 7 is, free to rock outward and the plate 6 is retained by the dog, this pressure tends to rupture the solder union, and as the heat rises sufficiently to fuse this solder the two will be separated and the post collapse, release the valve, and permit the water to escape. The escaping 'water encountering the wheel Swill, by the centrifugal force exerted by passing through the diagonal holes, cause it to rotate rapidly and spread the water in a fine spray. I claim as my invention-'- 1. An improved post for automatic sprinklers of the class designated consisting of two contiguous members, one whereof has on one the other against the arch and provided with I a dog to overhangthe abutments; and two like plates, one end of each projecting over the adjacent end of the other, united by solder fusible at a low temperature, and inserted between the abutment-s and dog substantially as shown and described.

2. y In an automatic sprinkler of the class designated, the combination with the arch, inlet and valve, of a post arranged to be interposed and held in tension between the arch and valve,comprising two parallel contiguous members, one whereof, adapted to rest on the valve, is provided on one side with separate rests for single united plates, and on the other with a notch to engage the other member, and having the end adapted to rest on the valve ofiset back from the plane'of union; andthe second member having one end adapted to rest in the notch of the first member and provided with a dog to overhang the rests in the first member; and two similar plates,one end of each projecting beyond the end of the other, united by a solder fusibleat a low temperature and inserted between the dog-rests;

the projecting ends of each plate being arranged to be engaged by the part with which it is connected, and the thrust of said members from the water-pressure being from each,

other, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described. 

